


Speed Bump

by citrusella



Series: Citrusella's Comfortember 2020 Fics [1]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Anxiety, Gen, Nightmares, Phone Calls & Telephones, Posted Mostly Without Revision or Much Proofreading, Stuffed Toys, steven's first night on the road and he's afraid to go back to sleep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:47:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27476779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/citrusella/pseuds/citrusella
Summary: "Hi, Steven! Figured I'd call you and ask about the first day of your road trip while I'm getting ready for my last week of school! I didn't wake you up, did I?""What? No… no. I was… um… already up."Steven's first night on the open road isn't as smooth as he wanted it to be.Attempt to combine prompts 2-6 of Comfortember (prompt 1 just couldn't be squeezed in): "first day/night", "nightmare", anxiety", "cuddling", "afraid to sleep"
Relationships: Connie Maheswaran & Steven Universe
Series: Citrusella's Comfortember 2020 Fics [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2011213
Comments: 4
Kudos: 29
Collections: lofi fanfics to practice social distancing to





	Speed Bump

**Author's Note:**

> This is out later than the 6th but ah well.

The happy notes of Steven's ringtone echoed through the dark car a few times as he fumbled into the front seat for it.

"Hi, Steven! Figured I'd call you and ask about the first day of your road trip while I'm getting ready for my last week of school! I didn't wake you up, did I?"

"What? No… no. I was… um… already up," he said coolly, trying to play everything off.

The pause on Connie's part was enough to make it clear she could already tell something was up. "…For how long?"

"Two? Three hours?" He rubbed the back of his head. It hadn't seemed that bad until he'd said everything out loud.

"You've been up since _three a.m?!_ "

"I mean. I've been laying down. Just… um… not sleeping."

There was silence on the other end of the line.

"…Connie?"

A rustle. "Sorry, I was trying to think of what to say while I put my socks on. Why, um, why'd you wake up so early?"

He sighed. "Nightmares."

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Maybe? I mean, I don't wanna pull you away from getting ready for school."

"Steven. _I_ called _you_."

"They were… I guess what's important is I woke up and… and I think I was having a panic attack or something. I dunno. It was weird, I was just kinda freaked, um… Everything was just… y'know… and I think I just got all psyched out. Like, really really worried and everything. Because of them… the-the nightmares."

Geez. He wasn't making any sense.

Connie made a small affirmative tone to let Steven know she was still listening even if she was giving Steven the opening to keep talking.

He took the opening.

"Nnngh, they were really human things, too. Like, 'what if I'm not ready', 'what if I should've stayed home', 'what if I've made a huge mistake and I'm gonna die in a horrible accident and because it happened on the road my family's never gonna know what happened to me and—'"

"Steven!"

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize."

"…Sorry."

"Steven."

He took a deep breath.

Connie made a small click with her tongue. "What can I do to help you?"

"What?"

"I want to help you, Steven. What can I do to help?" It was clear she wouldn't take no for an answer, Steven could tell.

"I mean… I think I just need a hug, but…"

"Done."

Steven raised a brow. "Connie, you have school."

"Fine. I'll send Lion alone…" she paused for a longer-than-normal amount of time, "scratch that, I don't know where Lion is."

"…Probably for the best. I'm right next door to a zoo. Don't wanna take the chance they'd think he'd escaped… even if he _is_ pink…"

Connie blew out some air. Steven could hear her opening a drawer. "Do you have anything you can just… cuddle? Pretend it's from me?"

"Um. I have a Sad Waffle plush."

"…Can you get it?"

"Yeah, hang on."

He climbed out of the car, frowning as he noticed the sun was in the earliest stages of rising, opened the trunk, and rooted through it until he found the pillow-sized prize.

"Got it."

"Okay. Hug it like you'd hug me."

…He hugged it tighter than he'd have probably hugged Connie.

"Is it helping?"

Steven hummed. "…No?"

She sighed, though it was clear it was more because there wasn't really too much else she could do to help him. "Maybe… call your dad or one of the gems? But maybe try to get some sleep first? Do you have an appointment with your therapist today?"

"No, Thursday." He sighed and hugged Sad Waffle just a little tighter. "Maybe I shouldn't have done this. I'm only in Wilmingmore; I could just turn around, right? Decide to do the leaving thing later?"

"Steven, you planned this for so long. And you and everyone else decided you were ready. Don't count yourself out so fast. I mean, like, technically it's your choice, no one can say you _have_ to stay on the road, but maybe you should sleep on it." She paused. "Literally, actually. You shouldn't be driving sleep-deprived; it's not safe."

"I know, but—"

"No buts! If I get back from school and find out you came back without sleeping first, I _will_ be challenging you to a sword fight. And you've seen the kinds of things I can slice up with a sword." The threat was empty, but it sat in his mind's pantry nonetheless.

"Okay! Okay… I'll… Dad probably won't be up for a few hours… maybe more if he's _super_ into my mattress," he chuckled at one of the few things that seemed to be humorous to him on so little sleep. "I'll try to sleep until then, at least," he begrudged.

"Good, because otherwise…" She made a cutting sound with her mouth. Steven knew she was joking… he _thought_ , anyway. "I'm gonna have to let you go, bus is almost here," she said. Steven could hear her frown. He frowned, too.

"…Okay," he said. "I'll, um… see you after school?"

"Maybe I'll call you at lunch, unless you're sleeping."

"Sounds good."

"Okay, um—yes, Mom, I'm going! …Bye, Steven." It sounded like she wanted to reach through the phone and give his shoulder a reassuring pat. He wanted to return the favor.

"Goodbye, Connie."

Steven curled up with Sad Waffle and watched the rest of the sunrise. He wasn't sure when he fell asleep, but he must have at some point because when he woke up, the light wasn't so much in his face as warming his feet through the car window.

He sat up, looked toward the zoo, and started straightening out his hair as he dialed his dad.

**Author's Note:**

> Might convert this into a multi-chapter or a collection if I do more... except that there's one idea I have that I might prefer as a separate fic that's not in a multiple chapter fic... hmm...


End file.
